RCPS Monthly Blog

Why Peer Mental Health Support is Important

By Liam W

There is nothing I want more than to help make RCPS become a successful and prominent organization. I believe so adamantly that everyone needs access to appropriate mental healthcare and support that is both effective and desirable for whom we serve. I have lived with mental health and physical challenges my entire life, and it has been a struggle to access and receive appropriate services to help me. It is frequently frustrating, defeating, and demoralizing to not be able to get the help that I need and the help that I want.

As I often iterate repeatedly there are many mental health resources and services that are available, yet in my experience, I find a lot of them lacking in many areas; from being able to easily access them either in terms of location or transportation and/or in terms of the services offered and the eligibility criteria for receiving those services. I find that many clinical mental health services often treat people by telling them what is wrong with them and then deciding and telling you how they are going to fix you. Most critically impactful is that while there are mental healthcare services that exist, there simply isn't enough.

Mental Health has always been stigmatized and often treated as taboo or shameful, however, in our current culture and time that is becoming less relevant, and mental healthcare is being sought out more frequently as anyone and everyone can experience mental health challenges. Now that more people are seeking support the available mental health services and resources are falling short to provide appropriate services to those that need them.

Another critical issue I find with a lot of mental health agencies and organizations is extreme difficulty in navigating their websites and trying to locate specific information, programs, services, and contact details. Having a website that is difficult to navigate and easily understand is also another barrier to accessing mental health support. For those that are experiencing mental health challenges, we have limited capacity and patience to sift through and navigate unintelligible websites looking for basic information to find the support and care that we need. We call on other organizations and websites to reevaluate their websites and look at areas where they can be improved.

I have worked in community mental health for years and the one thing that I find most helpful about community and peer mental healthcare is that we address people as people, people who have mental health challenges, and we ask you how we can best support you and help you, and then we work together to achieve mental health recovery collaboratively. It is so important to be able to guide and direct your own mental health recovery and engage in the practices and skills that are most suitable and comfortable for you that aid in your recovery process.

Mental Health is a lifelong journey, as we are constantly living our lives, experiencing life as it happens, and feeling and processing the emotions that result from everything that happens to us. With that said, mental healthcare needs to shift away from ineffective and undesirable modes of treatment and support, and instead focus on people as individuals who matter, who have voices, who are unique, who come from different cultures, backgrounds, strengths and challenges, and who may or may not benefit from the same methods of treatment, support, and care as another person may or may not.

I know that my vision and my goals for RCPS are profoundly and substantially extensive. I know that it will take great effort, time, and a lot of patience, and most importantly teamwork and community collaboration to fulfill our mission and to become a leader in peer mental healthcare. And with that, I say let's be fierce, let's be amazing, and let's be champions for humanity; because we will make it happen!